Motivation

Motivation is a finicky variable that often feels out of our control. I have a two-pronged approach to the way it interacts with and impacts my extracurricular learning practice.

Worldview: Be more forgiving

Motivation fluctuates. It just does. There is no such thing as a state of perpetual enthusiasm.

Let it fluctuate. When it comes to content you’re consuming as a hobby, for the enjoyment of it, there isn’t actually a test at the end of it. There aren’t deadlines or requirements. It’s not actually school.

Behavior: Play with time

While letting it fluctuate on a high level, you can also experiment with ways to inspire it.

Try blocking off a set amount of time to read- whether that’s 15 minutes or an hour. Try just starting to listen to a podcast- give it a few minutes and turn it off if you’re still feeling motivated or focused.

If it doesn’t work, see above about letting it fluctuate. But at least you tried.

As always, The Collection continues to grow. Check it out if you’re interested in digital sociology, design, business, and personal growth.

I’m also experimenting with different length for these newsletters. Maybe sometimes they’re shorter, sometimes they’re longer. Am I going to have enough distinct topics about the practice of learning to keep the scope of the newsletters limited to that? I guess we’ll see.